The present invention relates to a deviating station for a handling arrangement, and a handling arrangement provided therewith. More particularly, the present invention relates to a deviating station for a handling arrangement with a band conveyor having vertical and horizontal runs and a corrugated edge belt closed by a cover band.
Deviating stations and handling arrangements of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. The band conveyor has at least two portions of which one portion is position-variable relative to the other portion, and the deviating station includes a plurality of supporting rollers arranged in groups in correspondence with the band deviation or a supporting frame so as to form supporting points for the band conveyor and the cover band. The term "supporting frame" is used to identify a supporting steel structure of one band portion of two portions of the band conveyor movable relative to one another about a pivot axis. Handling arrangements of the art described here are used, for example, for unloading of ships and the like and conventionally have an extensible and retractible bracket supported on a mast, and a normally or inclinably adjustable frame suspended on its front end. The bracket and the frame receive a front run of a band conveyor which either embraces a throughgoing conveyor band with a band deviating station in a pivot point between both, or has for each run a particular conveying band with a transverse station in the above mentioned pivot point. A material supply device such as a shovel drum, a shovel wheel, or the like, provided at the lower end of the frame charges the conveyor run, the material discharge means or intermediate conveyor transfers the material of the subsequent second conveyor run and transports it further. At the lower end of the frame or the first conveyor run, a further deviating station can be provided, and the conveyor band can be again deviated and guided to the material supply device. During working movement of the bracket, the frame and the material supply device, the band portions of the band conveyor perform relative movements relative to one another, and the angle between the band portions and thereby the band angle in the deviating station changes. Since it means in the region of the deviating station also a relative movement between the supporting rollers arranged on the supporting frame, on the one hand, and the band conveyor and its cover band, on the other hand, there is a danger of damaging loading between both and as a result of it there is also a danger of deformations and damages of the supporting rollers and their bearings, as well as of the band conveyor and the cover band.